Kinshasa was a village on the south bank of the Congo when Stanley passed through in 1877. He returned in 1881 and established Leopoldville on the banks of contemporary Kintambo and Ngaliema. A post was opened upriver at Kinshasa in 1883. In 1923 Leopoldville was named the capital, comprising both Kinshasa and Leopoldville, established at Kalina (now Gombe), while "old" Leopoldville remained the capital of the Province. The Leopoldville-Kinshasa agglomeration was renamed Kinshasa in 1966.

TRANSLATE

Friday, March 20, 2015

The
Kinshasa International Fair (Foire Internationale de Kinshasa or FIKIN) opened
its doors on Congo’s Independence Day, June 30, 1969.Located in Commune de Limete at the “Echangeur” traffic circle off Blvd. Lumumba (See Aug. 20, 2011), the 18-hectare facility featured
exhibitors from 20 nations and during its three-week run, hosted a total of
600,000 visitors.

The publicity poster of the original Fair

The
event was designed to present a new, positive image of the Congo under Mobutu’s
leadership.Its organization also
represented a rapprochement and collaboration with former colonial power Belgium,
symbolized by the closing day of the Fair on July 21, Belgium’s national day.Congo’s invitation to the world to
attend the fair was symbolized at the entrance by a gigantic statue of the
“Batteur du Tam-Tam” by sculptor Andre Lufwa Mawidi.

A view of the fair grounds - Chanic open-air exhibit in background

The "Batteur du Tam-Tam" at the entrance to the Fair

The
idea of a organizing a trade fair in Kinshasa was proposed at the OAU meetings
held in the capital in September 1967, just weeks after a second mercenary
rebellion in Kisangani and Bukavu had again tarnished Congo’s international reputation.On May 7, 1968, Mobutu signed an
Ordinance creating the fair and that same month a consultant arrived to
conceptualize the project and develop a budget.By October, the construction contract was awarded to the
C.C.C./Safricas joint-venture and site preparation began on the site, which
previously had served as a paratroop training landing ground.The contractors employed 700 workers,
graded 150,000 cubic meters of earth, dug 20 kilometers of drains, poured
20,000 m3 of concrete, paved 50,000 m2 streets and parking and erected 40,000
m2 of exhibition halls topped with Congo-copper laminated roofs.The commercial complex was complimented
by a 100-unit Cité Fikin (built by ONL, though it was still under construction
on opening day, SeeSep. 30, 2011).

The Fair entrance (center), pavilions (R) and amusement park (L)

The entrance to the exhibit area Fikin '71

Kinshasa
did not have a formal site for large commercial events of this type.During the colonial period, the
authorities often used sports facilities, such as the football pitch in front
of Sainte Anne Church or the stadiums.During the Depression, local authorities tried to follow up the Belgian
Centenary “Kermesse” (See Dec. 4, 2014)with a
Foire Commerciale de Léopoldville, but this lapsed after 3 seasons. In August
1951, a “Foire Commercial et Industrielle de Léopoldville” was held off Blvd.
Albert 1er, on the open space reserved for Ricquier’s monumental boulevard (See July 31, 2011).Significant interest in the Fair from Belgian firms
required the planners to increase the exhibit space from 12,000 m2 to 17,000
m2. The complex featured a recording studio, cinema, post office and two
banks.A 35-meter tower topped
with a searchlight would bathe the night sky while a reflecting pool provided
participants with an opportunity to decompress from so much frenetic commercial
activity.After the fair, the
facilities were demolished and construction began on a series of 7-story
apartment buildings to house colonial civil servants.Only the reflecting pool was retained and Ricquier’s grand
urbanization scheme gave way to new priorities (See Jan. 23, 2011).

The Grand Place of the 1951 Foire Commerciale et Industrielle

The Government apartments complex built on the Fair site. Note the reflecting
pool in the center

The
unanticipated success of the FIKIN’69 prompted the authorities to establish it
as a formal entity and to institute a program of alternating, bi-annual
International and National fairs.The National Fair held June 24-July 12, 1970, the 10th
Anniversary of Independence was themed, “Le Congo au Travail”.The complex was expanded by 2 additional
hectares and an amusement park added.Belgian King Baudouin and President Mobutu jointly opened the fair.Mobutu and his wife took a ride on “Mobembo”, the “Far West” train that
encircled the park. The amusement park included a carousel, bumper cars, a
tunnel of love, a roller coaster, and a house of mirrors. Restaurants serving
hundreds of patrons and beer gardens with dance floors run by the breweries
catered to thousands.A 600-seat
open-air theater showed movies.Ten snack-bars, public toilets and a flea-market filled out the
diversions heretofore unavailable to the ordinary Kinois.The National Fair was a hit!

Kids at the amusement park

President Mobutu visiting one of the exhibits

The
1971 International Fair surpassed previous accomplishments.Fifty countries were present with 2500
exhibitors, and an average 48,000 visitors a day paid 30 Makuta to attend.Both covered and open exhibit space was
expanded, of which 4000 m2 was reserved for Congolese participants.The 1000 m2 United States pavilion
featured exhibits organized by the Departments of Commerce, Agriculture and the
US Information Agency. When
President Mobutu opened the third International edition June 23, 1973, the Fair
had expanded to over 86 hectares, four new pavilions were added and 42,000 m2
of open-air exhibit space was available.Reflecting changing political and economic policies of the country, the
People’s Republic of China, Argentina and Brasil were present for the first
time.China and the US had the
largest pavilions, with the latter featuring Texaco, Gulf, Mobil, Westinghouse,
Goodyear and Constructors Inga-Shaba, which was erecting the 1700 kilometer
electric transmission line from Inga Dam to the copper-producing region of
Shaba.

The Gecomin (now Gecamines) pavilion

The Batteur du Tam-Tam

The
National Fair in 1974 focused on the results of “Zairianization”, the economic nationalization program decreed by President
Mobutu November 30, 1973.The
crowds were so large the closing date was extended an additional week, by which
time 1.5 million people had passed through the gates -- 200,000 more than the
1972 National Fair.Nonetheless, problems
were already developing over US participation in the 1975 International Fair. “Zairianization”, was not an issue, as
most US businesses in Zaire were exempt from the measures under the 1969 Investment Code, but Washington was
dragging its heels, citing budget constraints.The US Embassy was concerned that the lack of American
representation during the 10th Anniversary of Mobutu’s accession to
power would send the wrong message.In the end, a cost-sharing arrangement was worked out with local American
firms and the US pavilion opened again it its prime location. Forty-four
countries were present and Belgium, France and Algeria sent strong delegations
to sign trade deals.

DIFCO - Volkswagen representative open-air exhibit

The
negative consequences of “Zairianization”
were beginning to be felt, however, and combined with the 1975 oil shock and the
collapse of copper prices following the end of the U.S. war in Viet Nam, the
Zairian economy spiraled into serious decline.For the first time in 1976, Mobutu did not appear for the official
Fair closing.In 1979 only 300,000
people visited the Fair and in 1981 Motel Fikin and the amusement park were
privatized.The 1987 Fair featured
the “Five Year Plan”, with 11 countries and 325 firms exhibiting. In 1991 and 1993, like the rest of
the Capital, the fair was looted in the “Pillages”.

The publicity poster in 1981

By
the time the coalition government under President Kabila was installed in 2003,
the Foire had fallen on hard times.The 150 tenants of the seriously deteriorated Motel Fikin complex were
months and years behind in their rent.This loss of revenue was critical, because the Fair was essentially a
self-financing entity.The
following year, Minister of Foreign Commerce sought to negotiate with the
renters and threatened them with eviction.He travelled to Italy to seek help in rehabilitating the
amusement park (an Italian firm had built the original).Five tenants were evicted for unpaid
rent in March 2006, but there was little appetite to pursue the campaign to its
end.

In
June 2012, Fikin and the China Communication Construction Co. (CCCC) created a
joint venture, the Société Immobilère du Congo (SIC), for a “cité moderne” on the Motel Fikin site
and 11 adjacent unoccupied hectares. CCCC contributed 80% of the $21.3 million capital, with
Fikin providing 20%.The complex
would comprise 14 high-rise buildings with 630 residences, 14 villas, a
five-star hotel, commercial buildings and recreational facilities.The agreement stipulated that CCCC
would first build on the vacant site, to which Motel Fikin tenants could be
relocated, and then demolish the Motel to complete the construction.

Architectural rendering of the "Cite Moderne"

But in September
2014 Motel Fikin residents were notified that they must vacate by October 30 so
that the Motel complex could be demolished.There were as yet no apartments ready for occupation and the
price tag for a two-bedroom unit was $225,000, hardly the “social housing” originally
promised and unlikely to be affordable for Motel Fikin residents (or most
Kinois, for that matter).The
rationale for the early demolition was to enable SIC to construct all the
roads, drainage and utilities at one time. Minister of Economy and Commerce Jean-Paul Nemoyato visited
the site October 22, 2014 and declared himself satisfied with the status of the
construction work.CCCC maintains the first apartments will be ready for occupancy in
September 2016.

Aerial view of the project site, the Echangeur and Blvd. Lumumba (the Fair is left of Motel Fikin site)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

In an earlier
post on Kinshasa’s lost architectural heritage in March 2011, I shared a photo
of the Café Central (See Mar. 24, 2011), suggesting it could have been on Ave. Stanley (now Ave.
du Bas-Congo in old Kinshasa, Commune de la Gombe).I have still not been able to locate the Café, but will
exercise the blogger’s prerogative and depart from my usual effort be
authoritative into the speculative.

The Cafe as depicted in the March 2011 post

The earliest
reference to the Café Central, owned by Victor Dorginaux, is a post card dated
July 1, 1924, which shows the premises decked out with paper garlands and Chinese
lanterns and tables set up in front beer-garden style.July 1st was the anniversary
of the founding of the Congo Free State in 1885 and remained a holiday even
after Belgium took over the colony from Leopold II in 1908.That same year in September, Dorignaux offered
a self-named winners Cup for the European football league playoffs (See Nov. 1, 2014).

Ready for the party - the tables appear to be arranged to create a dance floor

The Café Central likely pre-dated 1924, as an earlier photo
exists without the “V. Dorginaux” sign on the roof or the mounted flagpoles.
Dorignaux was probably involved, however, even if not the proprietor, as a
banner on an adjacent shed proclaims, “Friture Victor”.

A later photo shows the “Friture” building with a new façade
of the “Garage Central”.There is
scaffolding on the main building and the "V. Dorignaux" sign has been erected, a low masonry wall now separates the beer
garden from the street and young trees have been planted at the corners of the
lot.

This photo dates from the same period as the one above and the posture of the man
in the doorway suggests a proud new proprietor.

The décor and ambiance of the café
and restaurant appear intended to provide customers with a respite from daily
life in a tropical river port with the comforts of a European club.The dark, interior bar appointed with
heavy wooden furniture was called the “Bar Américain”.

The last record of the Café Central I have found is in the
1927 “Congo: Revue General”, in which the establishment is listed as a “Grand
café-restaurant & dancing”.Other
photos with more lush and filled out vegetation match the photo at the
beginning of this post. Large
potted tropical plants now stand on the verandah wall.

Dining on the verandah in the heat of the day

The trees have now nearly doubled in height

I have revised
my hunch on the location of the Café Central.It would have made sense to be closer to the old Gare and
the Hotel A.B.C. (See Mar. 27, 2011) and the
architecture resembles other buildings north of the railway line (now Blvd du
30e Juin) built in the 1920s, such as the Gremio Portugalia or the Unatra
headquarters on Ave. Rubbens, for example (See Nov. 1, 2014, Feb. 2, 2012).But after looking over several aerial photos of downtown of the
inter-war years, I am unable to identify any building that fits the Café’s
silhouette.For now, it will have
to remain an enigma.